Make Your Own Guitar Fretboard Cleaner And Polisher

Why buy something brand new if you can make it yourself?

How to make your own fretboard cleaner and polisher:

Your guitar should meet one condition before you start this project: It should need to be restrung. If it doesn't need to be restrung; postpone this project. There's no sense in wasting still-good strings, right?

Zoom 2. Dab vinegar onto a cotton ball. I use rice vinegar, but any neutral vinegar will do (don't use balsamic) because it is a wonderful cleaning agent. Rub the vinegar over the fret board carefully as you replace each string. Note: Never take all of your strings off at once while restringing. It could damage your neck and action. Each time you've finished cleaning a section of the fretboard, dab some olive oil on a cotton ball and repeat so that your fretboard is polished. Do this for the entire fretboard.

Image courtesy of Elizabeth Seward.

3. Enjoy! I've been using this little trick to clean and polish my fretboard (and the rest of my guitar) for 14 years now.

It's always worked like a charm and I can't imagine ever putting forth the money to buy a store-bought product that does the same job but uses more packaging, resources and who knows what chemicals.